"The Japanese Phelps"

Kosuke Hagino has made no secret of his intentions in Rio: he will be targeting gold medals in the 200m and 400m medley.

"I have a chance to medal in the 200m freestyle too, and the 4x200m relay," adds the man they call "the Japanese Phelps".

At 22, Hagino does look like a serious rival for Michael Phelps, his boyhood hero, and Ryan Lochte.

The fractured elbow which ruled him out of the 2015 world championships is now a distant memory, and Hagino insists that it made him "stronger mentally".

In spite of his dimunitive stature (1.75m), he says there will be no excuses if he fails to bring home a medal: "I was lucky to finish with a medal in London, but this time there will be no luck involved."